"Looks like Hina is terrified right now!"
"Three Thousand Volts!" Ryuuto said lightly. With a wave of his left hand, a blue thunderbird shot out, crashing straight into Captain Hina.
Boom!!
A violent impact echoed as Captain Hina was electrocuted until she was charred black. The force of the thunderbird sent her flying into the distance.
"Ryuuto! Die!" A sharp cry came from behind him. Tashigi, wielding Shigure, leaped into the air and slashed down at Ryuuto. Her small frame was insignificant before his tens-of-meters-tall Thunder God form.
"Three Thousand Volts!"
Treating everyone equally, Ryuuto unleashed another thunderbird to send Tashigi flying.
Jyanbaru, remembering Ryuuto's orders, leaped forward to finish off Captain Hina. But as his fist descended, a dragon of smoke rushed in, and a black Jitte firmly blocked the blow.
Thud!
With the clash, Smoker appeared, his Jitte crackling with black lightning. "Hina!" he roared, pushing Jyanbaru's fist away with all his might. He transformed into a dragon of smoke, snatching up the unconscious Hina from the ground and retreating away from Ryuuto.
"Aren't you overestimating yourselves?" Ryuuto looked at his old acquaintance, Smoker, and spoke with disdain. "Divine Punishment!!"
Pointing with his Kuilong Zan, he called down a thick bolt of blue lightning from the sky, striking Smoker and Hina directly. The ground shattered, sending debris flying. The power of one hundred thousand volts vaporized every Marine soldier within range into a bloody mist. When the light faded, both Smoker and Hina lay defeated on the ground.
"You bastard!" a voice roared from the distance. Garp, who had been pretending to be down, flew toward Ryuuto with his iron fists, his eyes red with fury.
"Garp, see? You've lost your cool again." Ryuuto chuckled, swinging the Blade of the Thunder God in his right hand.
A massive purple slash flew toward Garp. He instantly coated his right fist in Haki, which erupted with countless streaks of black and red lightning as he met the attack head-on.
BOOM!!
The intense impact split the air into two colors: one side filled with destructive purple lightning, the other with ferocious black and red sparks.
"Break!" Garp roared. More black and red lightning burst from his fist, and with a powerful shockwave, he shattered the purple slash, sending its remnants flying into the sky.
"We're saved! It's the hero, Garp!" The surrounding Marines erupted in cheers at the sight.
"Garp didn't even go this hard last time! It seems I'll have to use my full power as well!" Ryuuto thought to himself as he watched.
Ryuuto stomped his foot, his heart pounding violently. All the purple lightning surrounding his body began to contract and condense. At the same time, the golden markings on his body blazed with extreme brilliance. Before Garp's eyes, Ryuuto's aura intensified rapidly.
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted from Ryuuto's body! In an instant, Ryuuto vanished, replaced by a golden figure suspended in the air. This figure was composed entirely of golden plasma, its indistinct face vaguely resembling Ryuuto's. It wore ancient golden armor, and the plasma flowed and converged to form mysterious, totem-like patterns. With every movement, countless drops of golden plasma splashed out. Wherever this golden plasma landed, the ground began to assimilate and disintegrate, erupting with thunderous rumbles.
"A Logia-type Devil Fruit?" Garp's eyes narrowed. "No matter. It will all crumble before my iron fists!"
"Garp, let me see what you're truly made of!" Ryuuto roared, brandishing the Kuilong Zan as he clashed with the Marine hero. The blade had now turned completely golden. Having absorbed immense amounts of golden plasma, every swing unleashed a golden slash imbued with extreme piercing power and overwhelmingly destructive force. Ordinary objects touched by the golden plasma were instantly turned to dust. Even with his powerful Armament Haki, Garp constantly had to endure the piercing force of the slashes. Their figures flickered through the sky, repeatedly clashing. Each collision generated powerful shockwaves, sending sprays of golden plasma in every direction, causing misery for the Marine soldiers and pirate grunts nearby.
Nearby, Marco was utterly astounded. "He's... fighting on par with Garp!"
Marco stared blankly at the scene. Vice Admiral Doberman, Jinbe, and Vista were also shocked, fully aware of the legendary reputation of "Garp the Hero."
Kizaru looked troubled. It seemed Ryuuto had gotten stronger again.
"Marco, what are you looking at? Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?" Adjusting his glasses, Kizaru instantly appeared beside Marco. A beam of light flared from his heel as his long leg swung down in a powerful kick.
Marco snapped back to his senses, his wings of flame flaring as he blocked the attack with both arms.
"Ryuuto, I never expected you to have grown this strong!" After a few exchanges, Garp landed on the ground, his expression grave. From that brief clash, Garp could tell that Ryuuto's power was now no less than his own.
But only Ryuuto knew the cost. Garp truly was the Marine hero who could fight Roger to a standstill. His iron fists were like cannonballs, each blow sending a numbing shock through Ryuuto's arms.
"Thunder God: Purgatory!"
Fortunately, Ryuuto had other skills. With a great shout, he plunged the Kuilong Zan into the earth. Golden plasma erupted instantly, assimilating the ground and surging toward Garp like a tidal wave. The roiling plasma radiated terrifying power.
"Look out! Run!!"
"Dammit, don't block me! Get out of the way!"
Cries of terror erupted as pirates and Marines scrambled for their lives. Sizzling arcs of pale golden lightning shot out from the plasma. Any nearby pirate grunts or Marine soldiers touched by it were instantly annihilated.
"Not good!!" Garp retreated frantically, fearing he would be engulfed by the plasma wave.
"Still a bit of a strain," Ryuuto murmured, slowly rising to his feet. He glanced at the nearly hundred-meter-wide sea of plasma and discreetly used a stamina potion on himself. "I'm at my limit!" he thought.
Garp stared at Ryuuto, his eyes filled with killing intent. It was partly because Ryuuto had killed his promising protégé, Koby, and partly because Ryuuto was becoming an ever-greater threat to the Marines.
"Today, I'll put my life on the line to stop you here!" Garp roared. Infusing his right fist with immense Conqueror's Haki, he shot toward Ryuuto like a cannonball.
"Perfect timing!" Ryuuto cried out. With a crack of thunder, the golden figure appeared instantly before Garp, bringing the Kuilong Zan down in a mighty slash.
BOOM!!
The golden Kuilong Zan collided directly with Garp's iron fist, which was crackling with black and red lightning. A massive shockwave of energy blasted outward, and the sky itself began to change color. A terrifying aura spread as arcs of black-red lightning and sprays of golden plasma shot out in all directions. The weaker-willed pirates and Marines in the vicinity instantly fainted.
"Hahahahaha! It's been a long time since I've had a fight this satisfying!" Feeling the destructive energy pulsing from his fist, Garp let out a great laugh, shoved Ryuuto back with his right hand, and leaped into the air.
"Thunder Prison!" Ryuuto shouted, kicking off the air several times to halt his momentum, creating a series of sonic booms. Instantly, the plasma on the ground roiled and formed a gaping, monstrous maw that lunged up to devour Garp.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Seeing this, Garp stomped hard on the ground, launching himself into the air like a blur.
"Thunder Abyss: Thousand Thorn Spears!" In response, Ryuuto roared, and the sea of plasma on the ground morphed into countless arrows that shot toward Garp.
But that wasn't all. Ryuuto himself flew up in pursuit.
Zzzzt~
Countless fine tendrils of golden lightning shot out from Ryuuto's body in all directions at incredible speed, catching up to Garp in an instant.
BOOM!!
As a flash of light erupted from the tip of a lightning tendril, Ryuuto materialized and brought a massive golden fist down upon Garp.
"If that's how it is... then bring it on!" Trapped between the golden arrows below and Ryuuto's fist above, Garp realized there was no escape. He steadied himself, clenched his fists, and unleashed a powerful aura. With his entire body blackened like obsidian and crackling with black and red lightning, he charged straight at Ryuuto.
BOOM!!
Black-red lightning and golden light clashed violently in the sky. The immense power warped the very heavens. At that moment, the countless golden arrows from below struck them both. An explosion of golden light filled the sky, instantly engulfing their figures.
"Mr. Garp..." Aokiji lay on the ground, looking weakly up at the sky, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.
The battlefield where Sengoku was fighting was particularly brutal. Akainu was covered in wounds, blood dripping from his face and body. He struggled to support himself, staring at Whitebeard with a newfound sense of powerlessness. Whitebeard was missing half his right arm, and a deep crater was visible in his chest, indicating grievous injuries. Yet even so, he was still trading furious blows with Sengoku using his remaining left hand, unleashing powerful shockwaves that cracked the earth and toppled countless surrounding buildings.
"Is this the world's strongest man?" Akainu exhaled sharply and forced himself back to his feet. The movement was bold and his posture impressive, but several broken ribs made him grimace in pain. "Dark Hound!!" He shot another fist of magma from his right arm.
"Those who would follow me, cast aside your lives and come!" After sending Sengoku flying with one punch and shattering Akainu's Dark Hound with another, Whitebeard collapsed to one knee, a look of agony on his face. But even so, he threw his head back and let out a resounding cry. "Charge!!"
Tears streamed down the faces of countless pirates as they watched. Inspired, they charged the Marines with renewed ferocity, and the Marines were instantly pushed back, retreating step by step.
"I can't fight anymore!"
"They're fighting like they have nothing to lose!"
"Don't... don't kill me!"
The morale of the ordinary Marine soldiers plummeted, their legs turning to jelly as they cried out in panic.
Luffy and Ace were sprinting through the chaos toward the coastline. Any Marine soldiers who got in their way were sent flying by Luffy's rubber fists and Ace's flaming punches. The Marine Vice Admirals who tried to intercept them were blocked one after another by the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders.
Just as Luffy and Ace were about to reach the shore, Aokiji leaped into the air. "Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
He crossed his arms over his chest and then thrust them forward, launching a giant bird of ice wreathed in chilling air straight at Luffy. Countless Marine soldiers and pirate grunts were frozen solid in its path.
"Watch out!" Seeing this, Ace leaped and skidded to a halt, turning to face the enormous ice bird. "Flame Commandment: Fire Pillar!" He spun his hands, creating a pillar of fire that shot toward the sky.
BOOM!!
The ten-meter-long ice bird crashed into the massive fire pillar. Extreme heat and cold collided, instantly creating a huge cloud of steam that shrouded the area in fog.
"I blocked it!" Ace thought, but his relief was short-lived.
Screech!
A sharp cry echoed as a wave of cold air washed over him. The giant ice bird burst through his pillar of flame and continued flying toward him.
"Dammit! Luffy, run!!" Ace, realizing he couldn't react in time, yelled at Luffy, who was running ahead.
"Ace!!" Luffy looked back just in time to see Ace about to be swallowed by the ice bird. A thin layer of frost was already forming on Ace's body. Once Ace was frozen, Luffy would be next. Without help, it was only a matter of time before they both became ice sculptures.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Luckily, Luffy had an inside man in the Marines. A lazy voice rang out as Kizaru hovered in mid-air. He brought his hands together, forming a screen of light from which countless beams shot toward Ace and Luffy.
"Ooh, the son of the Pirate King and Straw Hat Boy. You're not getting away!" Kizaru taunted them as he attacked.
However, the rain of light beams, a true masterpiece of control, perfectly avoided the two brothers and struck Aokiji's giant ice bird instead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Under the bombardment of countless light beams, the ice bird shattered into a million pieces.
"Oh my, what happened? It seems I missed completely!" Kizaru, knowing he had to commit to the act, hovered in the air with a look of feigned surprise.
"Kizaru, you..." Aokiji's eye twitched. He let out a resigned sigh as he watched Ace and Luffy resume their escape toward the shore.
...